Exercise apparatus

ABSTRACT

An apparatus for exercising the gluteus maximus comprising a body section curved to support the lower, middle and upper back and neck areas, a cam associated with the underside of the body for permitting the user to rock from a resting to a full extension position, and, a pair of shoulder members extending outward from said body and curved slightly toward the lower part of the body section to retain the shoulders on the apparatus when in use.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION

[0001] This application claims priority of copending provisionalapplication No. 60/306,773, filed Jul. 21, 2001, entitled Bunn CruncherII and copending provisional application No. 60/306,775, filed Jul. 21,2001, entitled Bunn Cruncher I, the disclosures of which areincorporated by reference in their entirety herein.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

[0002] The present invention relates to exercise equipment and, moreparticularly, to a nonpowered apparatus for assisting a user inexercising the gluteus maximus area of the body.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

[0003] Exercise equipment has been designed for isolated exercise ofvarious muscle groups. Exercising the gluteus maximus (buttock) area isoften desired, but, users can either hyperextend the back if not carefulor otherwise strain the area because known equipment is not adequatelydesigned to accommodate the spinal curvature of the body. Impropersupport of non-exercised areas also accounts for improper form forexercising and can lead to risk of strain. Therefore, there is a needfor a piece of exercise equipment that would facilitate exercise of thebuttock area while minimizing risk of strain.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

[0004] An apparatus for exercising the gluteus maximus comprising a bodysection curved to support the lower, middle and upper back and neckareas, a cam associated with the underside of the body for permittingthe user to rock from a resting to a full extension position, and, apair of shoulder members extending outward from said body and curvedslightly toward the lower part of the body section to retain theshoulders on the apparatus when in use.

[0005] In one embodiment the apparatus uses a single cam member forsupport. In a second embodiment the single cam is replaced with a pairof cam members disposed on either side of the body section.

[0006] More particularly, in one embodiment, the present inventioncomprises a body having a top surface, a bottom surface, a left side anda right side and having a curved first section for supporting the lowerback of a user, a curved second section for supporting the shoulder andmiddle back area of a user, and a curved third section for supportingthe upper back and neck area of a user; a pair of cam members associatedwith the bottom surface of the body; a shoulder member extending outwardfrom the left side of the body and curving toward the first section;and, a shoulder member extending outward from the right side of the bodyand curving toward the first section.

[0007] Other features and advantages of the present invention willbecome apparent upon reading the following detailed description ofembodiments of the invention, when taken in conjunction with theappended claims.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0008] The invention is illustrated in the drawings in which likereference characters designate the same or similar parts throughout thefigures of which:

[0009]FIG. 1 is a top plan view of one a first embodiment of the presentinvention.

[0010]FIG. 2 is a side elevational view of a first embodiment of thepresent invention.

[0011]FIG. 3 is an end elevational view of a first embodiment of thepresent invention.

[0012]FIG. 4 is a top plan view of a second embodiment of the presentinvention.

[0013]FIG. 5 is a side elevational view of a second embodiment of thepresent invention.

[0014]FIG. 6 is an end elevational view of a second embodiment of thepresent invention.

[0015]FIG. 7 is a schematic view of the apparatus of either embodimentshown with a user in the “at rest” position.

[0016]FIG. 8 is a schematic view of the apparatus of either embodimentshown with a user in the “full extension” position.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0017] The present invention provides an apparatus to exercise thegluteus maximus area (as well as hamstrings and thighs) of the humanbody. In a first embodiment, shown in FIGS. 1-3, the apparatus generallycomprises a body 1, a cam 2, and shoulders 3. The body 1 is a curvedsurface, which consists of three curves: 1A, 1B, and 1C. The threecurves are designed to fit to the curves of the human spine when aperson lays onto the body of the unit. The cam 2 attaches, or isattached (depending on the production technique used, to the bottom ofthe body 1 and is curved to act as a rocker for the unit. The shoulders3 extend outward from the top of the body 1 to the sides of the 1Ccurve, and are angled slightly down toward the end of the body 1A. Theshoulders 3 are slightly concave to the front, which helps to supportthe body while using the apparatus.

[0018] In a second embodiment, shown in FIGS. 4-6, the same basic designas the first embodiment is utilized, but in this embodiment the cam 2comprises two cam members 2 (best seen in FIG. 6) with a space betweenthem rather than the single surface cam 2 of the first embodiment. Inthis embodiment two cam members 2 may reduce the overall weight andmaterial costs of the apparatus while providing adequate strength andsupport.

[0019] To use the product, a person lays their back onto the body 1 ofthe unit with their neck at the 1C curve and their lower back at the 1Acurve (see FIGS. 7-8). The person's shoulders are pressed against theconcave side of the shoulders 3 to properly position the person on theunit. The person then bends their knees, placing their feet flat on thefloor, as close to their butt as possible. The arms can be folded ontheir stomach or the hands can grip the shoulders 3 for support. Themovement is done by pressing the feet to the floor, raising the hipsinto the air, and causing the unit to rock backwards and up onto the cam2. Once the person has reached the limit of their range of motion, theyslowly lower their hips back to the floor and start over again. Thismovement causes contraction of the gluteus maximus, as well as thehamstrings and thighs, thus strengthening and toning these musclegroups.

[0020] The apparatus of the present invention is preferably made ofmolded plastic or other rigid material. It can be produced in any of thedifferent plastic thermal-forming processes, depending upon the size ofthe production runs and the type of material to be used. Two possibleprocesses are multi-cavity twin-sheet forming and injection molding,both of which require aluminum and/or steel molds. As far as the typesof plastic that can be used in the process, the whole spectrum ofsuitable thermal plastics can be used. It all depends on the structuralengineering of the final design. The apparatus is designed to hold aweight of over 300 lbs. One manufacturing process may use a “twin-sheetformer” and high-density polyethylene.

[0021] The color of the apparatus can be any possible color. aself-adhesive rubber strip can applied to the cam 2 where it touches thefloor to ensure better traction when used on low-friction surfaces.

[0022] Although only a few exemplary embodiments of this invention havebeen described in detail above, those skilled in the art will readilyappreciate that many modifications are possible in the exemplaryembodiments without materially departing from the novel teachings andadvantages of this invention. Accordingly, all such modifications areintended to be included within the scope of this invention as defined inthe following claims.

What is claimed is:
 1. An exercise apparatus, comprising: a) a bodyhaving a top surface, a bottom surface, a left side and a right side andhaving i) a curved first section, ii) a curved second section, and iii)a curved third section; b) at least one cam member associated with saidbottom surface of said body; c) at least one shoulder member extendingoutward from said left side of said body; and, d) at least one shouldermember extending outward from said right side of said body.
 2. Anexercise apparatus, comprising: a) a body having a top surface, a bottomsurface, a left side and a right side and having i) a curved firstsection for supporting the lower back of a user, ii) a curved secondsection for supporting the shoulder and middle back area of a user, andiii) a curved third section for supporting the upper back and neck areaof a user; b) a pair of cam members associated with said bottom surfaceof said body; c) a shoulder member extending outward from said left sideof said body and curving toward said first section; and, d) a shouldermember extending outward from said right side of said body and curvingtoward said first section.
 3. The apparatus of claim 2, furthercomprising a friction enhancing material associated with a portion ofsaid cam that will come in contact with a floor or other surface.